STetc Gumshoe Interlude (4)

[Michael Bailey]

Not a Gumshoe's Manual entry per se, but ch 6 p 43:

"...Lew Basnight...continues to think of office work as early retirement, and intends to die on the job, out in the field. "Is where they'll find me, weeks later, years, maybe never, someplace unknown, middle of chasin down one more no-hope lead everybody's long forgotten. Gumshoe's Grave. There's a tattoo parlor in Chicago up North Clark could do you somethin along those lines if you're interested."


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That's devotion to the work, somewhat romanticized, but in Basnight's case one tends to extend credit.

There are currently several tattoo parlors on North Clark Street in Chicago. I like the name of "Mindcrusher Tattoos", but "Inclusive Tattoo Studio" is a nice variation on "exclusive."

"Evoke Tattoos" is a good name also; it's on the 2nd floor so it might have a 2nd floor ambience going for it. "George Pappas Tattoo" isn't afraid to put the owner's name behind the work, which could be a factor for some. "Tattoo By Bear" might appeal to some.

I'm sure there are more, but remembered that we're talking about 1931 or so.

Looking for tattoo history - there is some -
There's a professor William Grimshaw (1882-1968) & AI (I'd like to find a better source) sez his early work in Chicago was iconic though he moved around a lot...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXwL4iwDWEx/ (what dude nowadays would rock a fringe on his shorts? Bold wardrobe)

Text from the Instagram page:
"Ever wonder where classic images in American traditional tattoing come from?
William has a strong place as one of the first artists to lay the foundations of images we still see today. He is credited as one of the first tattoo artists to create the iconic Panther tattoo and the Rock of Ages tattoo.

"William was an English Immigrant working in America as a tattoo artist during the 1910s through to 1950s.

"The image of the panther was first seen in two books, Minute Myths and Legends, Marie Schubert, 1934 and Vanity Fair Ethyl Gasoline Ad by Karl Godwin, 1932. These images were probably used as reference for the first tattoos of the iconic panther and William was known as one of the tattoo artist to bring those images over to skin.
I have attached the images of these books as the last photos 🌞😁

"The Second image is of the Rock of Ages Flash made by William and is still used today in tattoing all around the world. Common reasons people getting this image today is to represent Faith, stability and safety amongst life's chaos.

"Not much is know about Williams life but his tattoo flash lives on and his foundations he set can still be seen in tattooing today.

"A little tattoo history every Thursday 💯"


Same Insta account supports Grimshaw's early Midwest presence:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqjF6rAhahQ/

A rarer backpiece design originally produced by William Grimshaw on an unknown man, made in Chicago c.1915. Swipe across to see the original piece.

I have never seen anyone reproduce this as close to the original with the full background so I thought it was appropriate to pay homage to such a great piece.

Grimshaw is often overlooked for his role in early American tattooing and often only recognised predominantly by his flash and presence in Norfolk, Virginia during the 1940s onwards.

However, he was a prominent early figure in Midwest tattooing and beyond, covering several notable tattooers including Frank Kamarit, George Larsen, G.E. Gale and more.
Thank you.
@firstandmaintattoo<https://www.instagram.com/firstandmaintattoo/>

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